Best domestic bond house

MANILA, Philippines - The First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC), the investment banking arm of the Metrobank Group, has been named Best Domestic Bond House in the Philippines by The Asset Publishing and Research Ltd. In The Asset’s Triple A Country Awards 2014, FMIC was cited for its leadership in the Philippine domestic bond market, having successfully raised P169.5 billion or 87 percent of the total bond issuances from October 2013 to September 2014. The P3.16- billion IPO of Century Pacific Food Inc., where First Metro was one of the joint lead underwriters, has also been awarded by The Asset as Best Deal Philippines. The IPO, a purely domestic offering, was 3.5x oversubscribed. First Metro’s strong distribution capability allowed it to take in 49 percent of the total issue size. In photo are: FMIC president Roberto Juanchito Dispo (left) and executive vice president Justino Juan Ocampo.